This invention relates to canisters for pressurized gas and personal security devices utilizing such canisters.
One known form of personal security device comprises a portable tear gas canister adapted to be carried in a coat pocket or handbag and used, in case of an emergency, in order to discharge tear gas, for example, toward the face of an assailant. The device is sufficiently small to be grasped in one hand, with discharge of the gas generally being effected through a gas discharge nozzle under the control of a plunger operated by thumb pressure. The canister may be mounted in a holster, and known holsters comprise, for example, a pair of panels of flexible material, such as leather, seamed together along three edges to define a canister pocket. One panel may include a flap passing over the canister plunger and secured to the other panel by a single snap fastener, the arrangement being such that the plunger can be depressed by applying pressure on top of the flap.
Problems may arise with a device of the above type. For example, in an emergency situation, where extreme speed of operation is required, a user in making a grab for the device in his or her pocket or bag, may grasp and operate it in an incorrect orientation, resulting in possible misdirection of the gas discharge. In such circumstances, the gas may even be directed toward the user rather than toward the assailant. Further, the holster flap may tend to pivot about the single snap fastener, thereby interfering with proper operation of the canister plunger.